Herring

Hollandse Nieuwe is The Netherlands national dish, coming in from the harsh North Sea fished by tough as nails seamen. Its typical season is at the end of spring and beginning of summer. It is eaten raw (though submitted to a cure process), with raw onions, in vertical bites, looking up and letting it go down into your mouth. Its effect in your mouth is explosive - you can either love it or hate, but you can't stay indifferent to it. In my case, I love it. And I dare you to discover your opinion.

Zeezout

Zeezout is one of my top-listed restaurants in Rotterdam. The reasons - well, see below, but the fact it has great fish contributes to it.

Vierhaven area is one of the most charming in Rotterdam. In the centre of the city, nested between an old dock filled with vintage boats (Vierhaven itself) and the beautiful Het Park, it is an area of classic private banking, big manors and great taste - in all senses. And that also applies to taste, on the palate sense. Zeezout is a great example of it, in its cozy corner of a beautiful 4-storeys building.

The dining-room is not very big, with 10 to 12 tables. As soon as you get into the dining room, you feel the warmth, the good reception, the good service (something that is not normal at only in The Netherlands, let me tell you...). Things will get even better once you have a look at the menu. Fish dishes abound, which, for me, Portuguese from heart and soul, means I am closer to paradise.

But then paradise materializes in your mouth, once you start tasting those dishes. A cocktail of prawn, chorizo and coucous or a sea bass and smoked eel sashimi are great starters, that fill your mouth with sea flavours. A seabream in salted crust is a perfect follow up - or a chateaubriand of tuna -, always with a fine white wine pair (if you prefer you can ask for the wine / dish pairing, according to your taste). Believe me, they are as amazing fish experiences as you can find in The Netherlands.

This restaurant reconciled me with Rotterdam. It warmed my mouth and my soul. And it is still my number one restaurant in Rotterdam - the very good, fresh fish, superbly cooked, the quality of service, the desserts (oops, I didn't tell you this before) and surprising coffee (I will not tell you about the surprise, though), ensures it.

Where: Rotterdam – The Netherlands

Address: Westerkad 11b, 3016CL Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Phone: +31 10 436 5049

Website: http://restaurantzeezout.nl/ 

Expensive: As I said before, quality has a price. Prepare to pay around €70 per person, depending on the wine. 

Last visit: September 2015

Tempo Doeloe

Dutch cuisine is not exactly famous, and there is a good reason for that. A sausage with some mashed potatoes is not exactly what I would call tasty or fancy - but it is functional in keeping you well fed, and that is what the efficient-driven dutch expect of food. But, having said this, Indonesia was a a part of The Netherlands colonial empire until mid-1940's and, voilá, the cultural exchanges this prompted have saved this European country from having an absolutely blend taste. Long live the Indonesian cuisine in The Netherlands - and in Amsterdam!

Tempo Doeloe is exactly one of the most famous Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam - and I must say I discovered it in an Anthony Bourdain TV series. Bourdain went there to try "rijstafel" (literally, rice table) and I decided I would do exactly the same. Rijstafel is no more than a dish rice with a huge variety of small portions of main or side dishes that should be used as toppings for the rice. Those toppings range from neutral to extremely spicy (and watch out, as the Indonesian version of extremely spicy might not be very different of deadly spicy...) and include different assortments of vegetables, chicken, shrimp, beef, coconut, peanut butter,... - almost anything you could imagine that could exist in a South East Asian country and then more. And the cuisine at Tempo Doeloe makes it incredibly delicious - and the Bintang Indonesian beer makes it even better! Though this is quite a full meal by itself, I would still recommend you to try the cinnamon and chocolate icecream, with an amazing assortment of fruits - some of them quite tropical but all delicious.

The dining room is posh Indonesian style decorated and the service is quite nice and efficient - another big difference vs the majority of the Dutch restaurants... And this actually rounds it up for a very pleasant dinner (the restaurant is not open for lunches) in the centre of Amsterdam. Just make sure you book a table with enough time - this is mandatory if you want to have a good meal in Tempo Doeloe.

Where: Amsterdam – The Netherlands

Address: Utrechtsestraat 75, 1017VJ, Amsterdam

Phone: +31 (0) 20 625 6718
Website: http://www.tempodoeloerestaurant.nl/

Expensive: Around €80 for a two persons meal, with no wine.
Last visit: January 2016

Vila Madalena city area

This article is not about a restaurant. It is about a city area - a neighborhood in São Paulo.

I have not highlight city areas before - this is really a first time. But if we are talking about good (and too many times fancy) places to eat, then, I could not forget Vila Madalena in São. 

This neighborhood in São Paulo is famous for its bohemian life. Some of the best restaurants, bars, cafes, bistros of this city are there - and when you say it for São Paulo, that really means something, believe me. The choice is wide, and the quality is usually very good. A simple stroll along a few blocks will make you cross several good options, each one of them with its own feature and atmosphere - like the one that is simply covered of football jerseys, another one that is all about food from Bahia and has matching music,... Just make sure that you really relax and let yourself go in the chill-out spirit of Vila Madalena.

Fish Market

There is a good place to eat seafood in Bogotá El Dorado / Salitre area – and that place is Fish Market. Don’t get me wrong, you can also go there for a very nice steak, but be forewarned that you can have delicious meat everywhere in Colombia – and only a handful of nice sea food ones.

Salitre area, close to the airport, is the home of several multinational businesses, as well as some very nice business oriented hotels. And when you have this combination, then, naturally, good restaurants will ensue. Fish Market is located in a small, locked square, with other restaurants as neighbours, and surrounded by a Marriott and a Sheraton. It’s decoration is dark and modern (but really guys, this is still a business restaurant, let’s make it clear – you know that for something to be modern doesn’t need to be dark, right? You could make it a bit brighter…), mainly functional, and “well behaved”. Predictable, in a way.

The big nasty point for whoever is reading this comes next – you better speak Spanish! Like in most of Colombia’s, English is seldom spoken and that means you will only have a Spanish language menu. Not a problem for me, but mind this small point, ok?

But if you have been able to pass through this language barrier, then, you can start preparing your senses. Sea food here is incredibly good (and I come from a sea food country, so, believe me when I say it). Forget about the sushi menu (yep, that is another advice I have on Colombia), but prepare to face difficult choices. Because the Peruvian ceviches are amazing, the oysters are fresh and tasty, they have a very good choice of shrimps, the lobsters are skilfully prepared, and they have a very good portfolio of fishes – all of them worth a good bite (or two… or ten, actually!). Also, if you are particularly fond of meat, you will find very good entrées combining sea food and steaks, good “surf and turf” kind like a steak with lobster chunks and shrimps – and I really like this one, believe me! As well as my Mid-Western friends (I think this was the only time ever I have seen them eat something that lived in water)…

Fish Market is a very good choice for a business dinner if you are in this area. The food is delicious, waiters are very helpful (though their English is also very limited), they have a very nice wine list (especially Chilean and Argentinian wines, of course). I have been there a handful of times, and it never failed – so, I would say, this is a pretty safe option as well. You just need to love sea food to enjoy it to the max!

Where: Bogota - Colombia

Address: Avenida El Dorado, 69C – 03L 204

Phone: +57 2108587

Website: http://www.lafragata.com/

Expensive: Around 60.000 COP per person (around €25 for a very good meal)

Last visit: September 2012

Baden Baden

Campos de Jordão is an exquisite town for an European. Built in the mountains between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, it promises Brazilians one thing most of them don’t have – cold! Yes, cold! The city sits at 1800m high and during winter time its temperatures can go around 0ºC – and sometimes it even snows there! And this also means we have a very picturesque town, with a variety of buildings resembling the typical alpine ones, a chair-lift just like the ones at ski resorts and a… German-like biergarten! And with great bier!

Baden Baden is located in the main shopping mall of the town, sprawling over the adjacent street. Its decoration is pretty much what you would expect in a biergarten, including the wooden walls, pointy clock tower, the nice area outside,… - it really resembles a Swiss or South German building.

Then, it is all about the beer! Baden Baden has a wide portfolio of their own bier, including a red one that I really liked! It also includes fine stouts, bocks and weisses, as well as more specific and seasonal biers. After you pick which you will have, then, it is time to pick up your food – and keep in mind that you will be faced with a mix of Brazilian and Bavarian choices. That means you will have to choose between several types of sausages, eisbein, trout, “abadejo” (a Brazilian fish), fondues, raclettes, steak,… The only thing that is mandatory here is that you wrap it up with an apfelstrudel! And that you enjoy the cold air around you in Winter time.

Baden Baden is not a gourmet restaurant. But it is a good place to anchor a “cold” weekend while in Brazil. The best way to enjoy this restaurant? With some good friends and stories flowing as freely as bier.

Where: Campos do Jordão - Brazil

Address: Rua Djalma Forjaz, 93, loja 10 - Vila Capivari

Phone: +55 12 3663 3610

Website: http://www.obadenbaden.com.br

Expensive: Around 90 BRR (40 euros) for 2 persons

Last visit: June 2012

Consulado Mineiro

Mineiro is a Brazilian born in Minas Gerais, a state right in the middle of this great country – and a state that is often stated as a traditional, deep inland cuisine heaven. So, now, just imagine a place that calls itself an embassy of Minas Gerais cuisine, right in the middle of São Paulo...

First of all, the location. Consulado Mineiro sits right in Benedito Calixto Square. And what’s special about Benedito Calixto Square? It is a small square that has a traditional flee market where you can buy and sell almost everything (specially antiques, though) and taste delicious street food. It is a buzzling and vivid place, full of people from all around São Paulo (and a few tourists that discovered it in Lonely Planet), with people selling, buying, walking around, eating, drinking. Just watch your pocket if you go there, ok?

Consulado Mineiro is right in the middle of this square – and you can easily say which restaurant it is by looking at the queue size. Consulado Mineiro is simply the one with the biggest number of persons drinking a beer and waiting outside. Especially during the weekends, the affluence is amazing! Which tells a lot about the food quality – and it’s price!

The dining room is big but normal – nothing special on that. The food, though, is a different story. First of all, a much needed clarification. When I talk about inland cuisine, I am not talking about some fancy small dish with one or two small appointments. I am talking about real food, that can feed a man working in the fields for a full day – but that feeds not only his stomach, but also its senses. That’s how good “mineira food” is! You have many (and delicious) options around, but just remember an individual ordering is actually large enough for 2 persons. Now, some options: “feijoada” (red beans and pork meat) is always a traditional and good choice (it is Wednesday’s traditional dish, so, it should be your order if you stop by there on such a day), “tutu à mineira”, “leitão à pururuca” (a kind of suckling pig), “mexidão” or “vale do Jequitinhonha” are very good examples of this meat rich and inland vegetables food tradition. Just remember to wash them down with some good local beer.

Consulado Mineiro is a great choice for a nice lazy Sunday lunch with some friends and good, delicious, meaty food. The kind of food that will taste great and then demand that you sit outside in the Sun and slowly digest it.

Where: São Paulo - Brazil

Address: Praça Benedito Calixto nº 74

Phone: +54 11 3088 6055

Website: http://www.consuladomineiro.com.br/

Expensive: Around 90 BRR (40 euros) for 2 persons

Last visit: June 2012